<p> 9th Grade Parent Glossary</p><p>Activities Directory – online directory of all RHS activities (www.ridleysd.k12.pa.us)</p><p>Advisory Period – 2:30 – 3:00 pm most days of the week when students can see their teachers for extra help</p><p>AP courses – Advanced Placement – course beyond Honors level designed for the potential for students to earn college credit</p><p>AP Permission Form – permission form which must be signed by parents of students registering for AP courses</p><p>ASVAB – Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery – a test to measure aptitude to be trained in specific jobs; administered at RHS every November to juniors and seniors</p><p>Back to School Night– an opportunity for parents to meet teachers and learn what their children are doing in each class</p><p>Block Scheduling – RHS uses block scheduling which means that students will attend 5 classes each semester for a total of 10 classes each year; each block is 73 minutes long</p><p>CATE – Career and Technical Education (formerly Vo-Tech) – a program designed for juniors and seniors interested in technical education; students must apply for this program during the registration period beginning each January</p><p>Class Dues – every student is required to pay $10 per year for class dues which helps to defray the costs of events such as dances and Class Night during senior year</p><p>Course Levels – AP (Advanced Placement); H (Honors); CP (College Prep); CCP (Career College Prep); GA (General Academic)</p><p>Course Registration – the period of time in January/February when all students meet with their guidance counselor to select courses for the following school year</p><p>Course Registration Guide – description of all courses offered to students; can be found online at www.ridleysd.k12.pa.us</p><p>Diversified Occupations/Occupational Seminar - Work Study; a program for 11th and 12th grade students interested in having a part-time job during the school year; students attend school part time and work part time and they must apply with their guidance counselor</p><p>Dual Enrollment – an opportunity for seniors to take college courses at Clarion, DCCC or Widener while attending RHS; interested students should speak with their counselor during the course registration period</p><p>EA/EMAC – Emerald Academy; a smaller learning community of honors students</p><p>Extended Absence form – a form that is required when a student will be absent for a long period of time; this form can be located in the main office and should be returned to the main office upon completion but prior to the absence</p><p>Grade Promotion – in order to be promoted to the next grade, students must earn a minimum number of credits (9th to 10th = 8 credits; 10th to 11th = 16 credits; 11th to 12th = 22 credits)</p><p>Graduation Requirements – 32 credits including 4 English, 3 or 4 Social Studies (depending on level), 3 Math, 3 Science, 2 Arts/Humanities, 1 Health, 1 PE, 11 additional credits and additional Citizenship Units.</p><p>Guidance Announcements – information generated in the guidance office about important information for students including scholarship information, open houses, job postings, etc.; they can be found in each classroom, online and in the guidance office Latex Policy – RHS is a latex safe environment; no latex products (gloves, balloons, etc.) are permitted</p><p>Morning Announcements – televised announcements providing information to students about important activities throughout the school</p><p>Naviance – an online career exploration program that will be available to all students through the guidance department</p><p>NHS – National Honor Society</p><p>Non-weighted GPA – grade point average of all courses taken at RHS</p><p>Parent Conferences – parents are invited and encouraged to schedule meetings with their child’s counselor and/or teacher(s)</p><p>Parent Forum - meetings held several times a year when the parents set the agenda to be discussed with that evening’s participating administrators</p><p>Parent Portal – parent access to Powerschool (online grades)</p><p>PIN Number – each student has an account in the cafeteria for lunches and the pin number provides access to any funds that have been previously deposited</p><p>PowerSchool – online grading system; all parents have access to grades and teacher email through Powerschool</p><p>RHS Publications – Archive (yearbook); Green Raider (newspaper); Windscript (literary magazine)</p><p>SAP – Student Assistance Program – a program designed to help at-risk (academic, behavioral, familial, etc.) students; for more information about SAP, you can see your child’s counselor</p><p>Student ID Number – unique identification number given to each student; this number is required to log into any school computer</p><p>Student Portal – student access to Powerschool</p><p>Transcript – a comprehensive listing of courses taken and grades earned; all grades in high school will be included on the transcript</p><p>User Agreement – a form allowing students to use school computers; students and parents must sign the form indicating that the student will abide by the school’s acceptable use policy</p><p>Weighted GPA – grade point average of only leveled courses taken</p><p>Welcome Walk – a period of time in the summer when high school teachers and administrators visit the home of each incoming 9th grader to welcome them to RHS</p>